by Unknown
“It’s a date,” she confirmed, sounding pleased. Perhaps the date thing wasn’t so bad. But no sense going overboard. Time to end this before he said something else he shouldn’t. “See you then. Bye.”
“Bye, Shane, and thanks for the call.”
He didn’t like knowing she was sad and there was nothing he could do about it. “I’ll be there tomorrow without fail.”
“I know. Bye.”
“Bye.” He disconnected, wondering how she knew he always kept his word. And why knowing that she did made him feel so darn good.
Shane parked his rental in Joann Albright’s garage thirty-six hours after he’d left. He was a day earlier than he’d planned. He didn’t like to think too much of the reason. Paige was becoming a complication. He couldn’t let her become a distraction as well. The less they were alone, the better.
He’d never run from a problem. He wasn’t doing so now, he reasoned. He was simply keeping a major complication out of the equations. He was here to do a job, but in the meantime something else wasn’t right.
Yesterday Mrs. Albright had sounded distracted on the phone when they’d briefly spoken. The cause hadn’t been Paige. Trent had felt the same about it. Something else was bothering her. Shane intended to find out what. He’d purposely returned when Paige would be at work.
He knocked on the back door, then waited. A cook, maid, or other house staff member was usually in the area. When another knock didn’t bring anyone, he tried the door. It was open. He’d have to talk to Mrs. Albright about that later.
He was leaving the kitchen when he heard the raised, mocking voice of a woman he didn’t recognize. He quickly moved in that direction. His instincts on alert, he slowly opened the door. Intent on each other, the two women in the room didn’t notice they had company.
“Stop stalling and write out my check,” the woman ordered, her voice husky. She stood in front of the oversized desk in the library. Mrs. Albright sat behind the desk.
“You weren’t supposed to come here,” Mrs. Albright told her, her voice unsteady and frightened.
“I go and do what I damn well please, and if you don’t want your pitiful daughter or that irresponsible son of yours to know what their daddy was doing the night he died, you’ll write out the check,” she sneered.
Joann shot to her feet. “Don’t you dare say anything about my children!”
“Ha!” The woman folded her arms. “Like you have a backbone? Marshall walked all over you and you took it. Now write the check. I’m accustomed to a certain standard of living and you’re going to see that it continues. Or else.”
“I’ve already given you a hundred thousand dollars,” Mrs. Albright said.
“Chump change.” Greed in her eyes, the woman looked around the elegant room. “You’re worth a fortune, and I plan to get my share.” She giggled, a high-pitched annoying sound. “You should thank me for keeping Marshall out of your bed.”
“You’re vile,” Mrs. Albright said with loathing. “Write the check, and I’ll be on my way.” When Mrs. Albright didn’t move, the blackmailer took out her BlackBerry. “Write it or I’m calling Paige. In case you think I don’t know her office number, it’s 555-877-7777.”
Mrs. Albright briefly closed her eyes, then sank heavily into her chair and pulled out a checkbook from the top desk drawer.
“Let’s make it an even thirty thousand this time. I need a few things.”
“Then I suggest you work for them,” Shane said coldly. The blackmailer swung toward him. Her heavily lashed eyes widened, sweeping over him, assessing him.
“Shane, I didn’t expect you this early,” Mrs. Albright said, coming slowly to her feet.
“Obviously.” He advanced into the room and didn’t stop until he stood in front of the curvaceous woman wearing a tight red designer dress. Her inch-long nails were the same vivid color. She reeked of expensive perfume. “You won’t get another cent from Mrs. Albright. You won’t call or come here. Now leave.”
Her thin brow arched. “Who are you?”
“Someone you don’t want to cross,” Shane said, his voice low and taut.
Her gaze swept him again from head to his plain leather shoes. “I don’t scare easily, especially by some unemployed nobody.”
“I’d ask how you knew so much about me, but I already know.” Shane’s eyes narrowed. So this was the woman Russell was secretly having an affair with? Like him she was hard, cold, calculating, and a user. She’d used his connection to the Albright household to keep abreast of what went on in the house while she blackmailed Mrs. Albright. “I bet he hasn’t figured out why you sought him out.”
She started, her heavily lashed eyes widened in surprise.
“Leave,” Shane repeated, his tone ominous.
The woman slowly turned to Mrs. Albright. “Is this the way you want to play it?”
“Shane—”
His fingers closed firmly around the woman’s forearm. She yelped, her free hand coming up clawing. He easily caught it and marched her to the door, where he released her. “Let me give you fair warning. Mrs. Albright has been through enough. Cause her any more pain or uneasiness, and you’ll have me to deal with.”
Rubbing her arm, she glared at him. “No one treats me this way. You’ll pay for this.”
“You do not want to mess with me. But take your best shot, because you’ll only get one.”
The woman took a few stumbling steps back, then quickly got inside a new silver Jaguar. Shooting him the finger, she sped off.
“She won’t go away,” Mrs. Albright said, her voice shaky. “She preys on vain, stupid men. I’m a meal ticket. She won’t give up easily.”
Shane tuned to Mrs. Albright. Knowing that her husband’s mistress at the time of his death was having an affair with Russell would only distress her more. “Her name and all you know about her.”
“Alisha Brown, thirty-two. She was Marshall’s last mistress, the one he was with the night he died.” Clearly embarrassed, Mrs. Albright flushed and briefly looked away. “She called 911, but only after she left the hotel. He might have lived if she hadn’t run out to avoid being found there with him. I’m sure he wasn’t the only one. She is too grasping and greedy for that.”
Shane agreed. “You shouldn’t have paid her.”
“I’d do anything to protect my children,” she said fiercely.
“But what you did only made them and yourself more vulnerable,” he told her. “If she’s as vicious as we both think, she’ll want to show me up and hurt you.”
Mrs. Albright gasped, pressing both hands to the lower part of her face. “She’ll tell Paige. You’ve got to stop her.”
“I will.” Shane pulled out his cell and hit speed dial as he raced back through the house, the shortest distance to the garage. Jericho Black, head of the Atlanta investigation firm Shane had hired, answered on the second ring.
“Jericho.”
“Get to Paige Albright’s office building now. Alisha Brown, African American woman, five-six, a hundred twenty pounds, reddish-blond hair, in tight red dress is on her way there now. Stall her in the lobby until I arrive. In the meantime have someone dig deep deeper into her past. I want everything you can find.”
“Done.”
Shane shut off the phone and jumped behind the wheel of the rental. Jericho had proven to be discreet, dependable, and trustworthy. He also didn’t ask questions. He had the kind of looks that would attract a viper like Alisha. And this time when Shane stood in front of her, the gloves would come off.
The thief had struck again.
Fire in her eyes, Paige sat behind her desk Tuesday morning. As soon as she’d arrived at work, she discovered the twenty-dollar bill she’d left last night as bait gone. As if dealing with Russell yesterday and the growing tension with her mother weren’t enough, she now had to contend with a thief.
Whoever had been rambling in her desk for the past two months had been careful to put things back just as they were, but they had tri
pped themselves up this time. The handle of the white coffee mug decorated with red hearts Noah and Gayle had given her wasn’t aligned with the gold pen, a high school graduation gift from Zach; the desk drawers weren’t almost closed.
More tellingly, the crisp banknote she’d left under her desk calendar when she went home last night wasn’t there. The other times money had come up missing she’d thought she had just forgotten to put the change in her purse. She might have kept believing that if she hadn’t left her gold hoop earrings on her desk, then discovered them missing.
No one in the twenty-member staff admitted to seeing the earrings. Nor had anyone in the cleaning crew seen them. Building security had blown her off. They all thought she had just misplaced the earrings. Now she had proof that someone was stealing from her. She just had to figure out a way to catch them.
Her ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. Her heart rate sped up. It might be Shane, letting her know he was back in town. She’d thought about their luncheon date all morning, had worn a figure-flattering white jacket with a round neckline over a slim skirt to look her best. “Hello.”
“Paige Albright?” asked a husky female voice.
“Yes, this is Paige Albright. How can I help you?” she answered, picking up her pen, trying not to be disappointed. She didn’t recognize the woman’s voice, but she had several feelers out for their major fund-raiser, the Masquerade Ball, in three weeks. They’d already reached their financial goal. Not a seat was left for the banquet, but she was still accepting donations.
“It’s important that we talk. Can you meet me in the lobby in five minutes? I assure you it will be financially beneficial.”
“Of course.” Paige had had stranger requests. “How will I recognize you?”
“I’ll recognize you.”
Paige stared at the droning phone, then shrugged. Her office was in one of the tallest buildings in Atlanta, and it could be a pain getting past security from the lobby, which meant the thief wasn’t a visitor.
Paige checked her watch. Eleven seventeen. She should make it back in plenty of time to meet Shane. She’d already given his name to security. Opening her door, she headed for the bank of elevators.
Seeing that his instincts were right didn’t make Shane feel better. He was just thankful Jericho had the suave, wealthy looks that would make Alisha pause and consider him for her next victim.
“You don’t listen very well, Alisha.”
She spun. Fear leaped into her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by calculation. “Benjamin, this man is stalking me. Call the police.”
“I can’t do that since he hired me,” Jericho said, then smiled into her furious face. “I’ll wait over here.”
“I was only interested in your money,” she hissed.
“And I wasn’t interested at all,” Jericho said before moving several feet away.
She gasped. “You—”
“Save the indignation for someone who cares,” Shane said, taking her arm to move to one side of the busy lobby. “You’re going to listen and, when I finish, you’re going to leave this lobby and not bother Mrs. Albright or her children again.”
“I’m in a public place. All I have to do is scream.”
“That would be a mistake, a very costly one.” His smile was colder than ice. “You’re dealing with something that is over your head and beyond your comprehension. I’m merciless and as vindictive as you are, with the money and power to back it up, to make nuisances disappear.” With each word her eyes grew wider, her skin colder until she was trembling, her bravado gone. “Play Russell, but forget you ever heard of Mrs. Albright and her children,” he warned. “Otherwise you’ll never know how big a mistake you’ve made until it’s too late.” He leaned in closer, the smile on his face at odds with the cold promise of retribution in his voice and eyes. “You won’t even have time to scream.”
Alisha clutched her throat, backed up two steps, then ran from the lobby, her heels rapidly clicking on the marble floor. The armed guards followed her progress all way to the door. They didn’t seem to pay attention to the well-dressed, handsome man who left behind her.
Shane turned toward the elevator and stared straight into Paige’s worried face. She couldn’t have heard them talk, but from the look on her face, she’d seen Alisha take off like a woman running from hell.
Chapter 8
“Hello, Paige,” Shane greeted, his sensual mouth curved into a beautiful smile.
For a moment Paige lost track of what she was about to say. “Th-that woman—”
“Was late for an appointment,” he said dismissively, cutting her off. “Are you ready to go to lunch?”
Paige studied him for a few moments longer, still trying to reconcile the impression of lethal danger on his face a moment ago with the easygoing man before her now, the man who had teased two teenagers, the man who made her silly heart race, her body believe. “I’m meeting a potential donor.”
“Oh,” he said casually.
“Yes,” she said, glancing around. “She said she’d meet me in the lobby.”
He looked around as well. “Where specifically were you to meet her?”
For some reason Paige felt a bit foolish. “We didn’t set a location. She said she’d recognize me.”
His warm, appreciative gaze swept over her. “You’d be hard to miss.”
She blushed. A first. “Perhaps she’s running late.”
He gently took her arm. Her skin warmed. “Why don’t we stand by the door and give her a few more minutes? And while we wait you can tell me what you’re working on.”
Paige was taken by surprise. No one except her mother and Zach ever asked about her job. Since she’d been seeing Russell, he’d asked to be her escort when he was in town, but never what the events were about. “It’s a masquerade ball. We’ve already met the projected financial goal, but I’m still accepting donations. I thought the woman wanted to contribute. She said it would be financially beneficial.”
Something, a coldness, flickered in his midnight-black eyes, then was gone. “Maybe she changed her mind.”
“Perhaps. I guess she’ll call again. How about lunch?”
“Barbecue?”
She laughed. “Not in this white suit.”
“Pity. Maybe next time.”
Paige had chosen a small eatery with only four tables. She’d eaten there before and knew the food to be good, and it wouldn’t put a dent in Shane’s wallet. When she’d stopped in front of the door, he’d given her a look as if he suspected the reason she’d chosen the restaurant. “The food is fabulous and plentiful,” she told him.
The server had greeted her by name and quickly served them. Seeing Shane eat with gusto confirmed that she’d made the right choice. He suddenly stopped, grinned, then reached across the table with his napkin and brushed the corner of her mouth.
“Ketchup.”
“Was not,” she said, smiling. She’d barely dabbed the French fry she’d just eaten in the ketchup.
“My eyes must be playing tricks on me,” he mused, rubbing them. “I’ll be more careful the next time.”
With her skin still tingling, she certainly hoped there would be a next time.
“Is everything still all right with your friend?”
“Yes. Thanks for asking.”
There was another question she wanted to ask. “The woman in the lobby seemed upset.”
“She did, didn’t she?” He took a long swallow of his sweetened iced tea.
“Did you know her?”
“Never saw her before today.” He bit into a turkey sandwich three inches thick.
Paige frowned. It was certainly difficult getting information out of Shane. “I only caught a glimpse of her, but she looked familiar.”
His gaze sharpened. “Oh?”
“Doesn’t matter, I guess,” she said and forged ahead on another, more delicate matter. “Yesterday Russell gave me his credit card to buy a $350 gift card for Noah and Gayle.”
Shane grunted dismissively and took another long swallow of tea. “Noah and Gayle settling in all right?”
“Yes,” she answered, watching the strong column of his throat, wondering if she’d ever get a chance to press her lips there. Sighing inwardly, she pulled herself away from that fantasy.
She hadn’t expected handsprings from Shane, but she had expected some kind of indication that Russell wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. Noah’s reaction had been almost identical when she’d given them the card last night. Clearly Russell wasn’t one of their favorite people. “They received their first piece of junk mail, and that made it official.”
He chuckled, a deep rich sound that she was beginning to enjoy too much. “They’re good kids. You should be proud of what you’ve done for them.”
She shook her head. “They deserve the credit. I’ve tried to help others and they didn’t make it.” She shoved her plate aside, not wanting to remember the failures.
“All you can do is show them you care, show them the way,” Shane said, causing her to raise her head. “For some, that’s enough. For others, no matter what you do, they’d rather take the easy way.”
She heard the bite in his voice. “You knew someone who took the easy way?”
Astonishment flickered in his dark eyes as if he hadn’t meant to reveal so much. “Yeah.”
Sadness mixed with anger lurked in his face. She wanted the teasing Shane to return. “Do you know anything about surveillance cameras?”
His wide shoulders snapped back; his gaze narrowed. “A bit. Why?”
In the blink of an eye he’d changed again, his body alert, poised. There was more to Shane than met the eye, she was sure of it.
She leaned over the small dining table, telling herself it was because she didn’t want to be overheard—not because she wanted to be closer to him, inhale the spicy cologne that made her want to sniff, then bite. “Someone is going through my desk every night. The money’s not very much, but last week they stole a pair of gold earrings Zachary gave me. I want them back.”
He copied her pose, their faces inches apart. “Did you report the theft?”